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On the Resurrection of the Flesh

Tertullian

Chapter 14

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter XIV.—A Sufficient Cause for the Resurrection of the Flesh Occurs in the Future Judgment of Man. It Will Take Cognisance of the Works of the Body No Less Than of the Soul.

Such, then, being the outlines of the divine

‹ Chapter 13 Chapter 15 ›

energies

which

God

has

displayed

as

much

in

the

parables

of

nature

as

in

His

spoken

word

,

let

us

now

approach

His

very

edicts

and

decrees

,

since

this

is

the

division

which

we

mainly

adopt

in

our

subject

-

matter

.

We

began

with

the

dignity

of

the

flesh

,

whether

it

were

of

such

a

nature

that

when

once

destroyed

it

was

capable

of

being

restored

.

Then

we

pursued

an

inquiry

touching

the

power

of

God

,

whether

it

was

sufficiently

great

to

be

habitually

able

to

confer

this

restoration

on

a

thing

which

had

been

destroyed

.

Now

,

if

we

have

proved

these

two

points

,

I

should

like

you

to

inquire

into

the

(

question

of

)

cause

,

whether

it

be

one

of

sufficient

weight

to

claim

the

resurrection

of

the

flesh

as

necessary

and

as

conformable

in

every

way

to

reason

;

because

there

underlies

this

demurrer

:

the

flesh

may

be

quite

capable

of

being

restored

,

and

the

Deity

be

perfectly

able

to

effect

the

restoration

,

but

a

cause

for

such

recovery

must

needs

pre

-

exist

.

Admit

then

a

sufficient

one

,

you

who

learn

of

a

God

who

is

both

supremely

good

as

well

as

just

—

supremely

good

from

His

own

(

character

)

,

just

in

consequence

of

ours

.

For

if

man

had

never

sinned

,

he

would

simply

and

solely

have

known

God

in

His

superlative

goodness

,

from

the

attribute

of

His

nature

.

But

now

he

experiences

Him

to

be

a

just

God

also

,

from

the

necessity

of

a

cause

;

still

,

however

,

retaining

under

this

very

circumstance

His

excellent

goodness

,

at

the

same

time

that

He

is

also

just

.

For

,

by

both

succouring

the

good

and

punishing

the

evil

,

He

displays

His

justice

,

and

at

the

same

time

makes

both

processes

contribute

proofs

of

His

goodness

,

whilst

on

the

one

hand

He

deals

vengeance

,

and

on

the

other

dispenses

reward

.

But

with

Marcion

you

will

have

the

opportunity

of

more

fully

learning

whether

this

be

the

whole

character

of

God

.

Meanwhile

,

so

perfect

is

our

(

God

)

,

that

He

is

rightly

Judge

,

because

He

is

the

Lord

;

rightly

the

Lord

,

because

the

Creator

;

rightly

the

Creator

,

because

He

is

God

.

Whence

it

happens

that

heretic

,

whose

name

I

know

not

,

holds

that

He

properly

is

not

a

Judge

,

since

He

is

not

Lord

;

properly

not

Lord

,

since

He

is

not

the

Creator

.

And

so

I

am

at

a

loss

to

know

how

He

is

God

,

who

is

neither

the

Creator

,

which

God

is

;

nor

the

Lord

,

which

the

Creator

is

.

Inasmuch

,

then

,

as

it

is

most

suitable

for

the

great

Being

who

is

God

,

and

Lord

,

and

Creator

to

summon

man

to

a

judgment

on

this

very

question

,

whether

he

has

taken

care

or

not

to

acknowledge

and

honour

his

Lord

and

Creator

,

this

is

just

such

a

judgment

as

the

resurrection

shall

achieve

.

The

entire

cause

,

then

,

or

rather

necessity

of

the

resurrection

,

will

be

this

,

namely

,

that

arrangement

of

the

final

judgment

which

shall

be

most

suitable

to

God

.

Now

,

in

effecting

this

arrangement

,

you

must

consider

whether

the

divine

censure

superintends

a

judicial

examination

of

the

two

natures

of

man

—

both

his

soul

and

his

flesh

.

For

that

which

is

a

suitable

object

to

be

judged

,

is

also

a

competent

one

to

be

raised

.

Our

position

is

,

that

the

judgment

of

God

must

be

believed

first

of

all

to

be

plenary

,

and

then

absolute

,

so

as

to

be

final

,

and

therefore

irrevocable

;

to

be

also

righteous

,

not

bearing

less

heavily

on

any

particular

part

;

to

be

moreover

worthy

of

God

,

being

complete

and

definite

,

in

keeping

with

His

great

patience

.

Thus

it

follows

that

the

fulness

and

perfection

of

the

judgment

consists

simply

in

representing

the

interests

of

the

entire

human

being

.

Now

,

since

the

entire

man

consists

of

the

union

of

the

two

natures

,

he

must

therefore

appear

in

both

,

as

it

is

right

that

he

should

be

judged

in

his

entirety

;

nor

,

of

course

,

did

he

pass

through

life

except

in

his

entire

state

.

As

therefore

he

lived

,

so

also

must

he

be

judged

,

because

he

has

to

be

judged

concerning

the

way

in

which

he

lived

.

For

life

is

the

cause

of

judgment

,

and

it

must

undergo

investigation

in

as

many

natures

as

it

possessed

when

it

discharged

its

vital

functions

.

Notes

1
He refers to Marcion.
2
He here refers his reader to what he has written against Marcion, especially in his books i. and ii.